The present invention relates to shovels and, more particularly, to a shock absorption and transferring appendage for a shovel blade, and more particularly to snow shovel blades.
Roadbed fissures and potholes can be caused by the rupturing or cracking of pavement due to excess energy between the vertical and horizontal movements of a shovel, such as a snow plow, on or towards the ground. Additionally, water infiltration into a small fissure already present in a road surface and subsequent expansion as the water reaches near freezing temperatures can cause the surface of a roadway to buckle or rupture. When the blade of a snowplow or shovel makes contact with the ground, the shearing stress impacts these ruptures and can scrape away large portions of the roadway.
Other devices that are modifications to the shovel, or a snowplow include flaps, fan mechanisms, and shock absorbers in other areas of the shovel. These modifications do little for alleviating roadway damage and pothole formation due to the direct contact between the shovel and the road during roadway shoveling. Additionally the common method for treatment for fissures and potholes are post fact: happening after the incident occur.
As can be seen, there is a need for an improved attachment to a shovel blade to prevent the most basic fissures and cracks at contact without complicated devices and may easily be retrofitted onto existing shovels.